Butterfly valves has been used upon tank trailers for many years, and they are even applied to help in the unloading of railroad cars, and usually are sufficiently stable in order to prevent any untimely discharge of the conveying cargo, whether it be grains, polymer beads, or other flowable granular material, but at the same time, allows for the manipulation of the valve into an opened position, to provide for prompt discharge of such materials. As can be readily determined, any feature used in the conveying of these types of usable granular materials, and which can facilitate the unloading operation, and at the same time accelerate the time spent in attaining an unloading of a tank trailer, usually equates to a time savings, which results in lower costs, which is a prime factor always sought by the transporting companies, in their hauling of such materials.
Hence, the design of any components of the unloading devices that adds efficiency as used in conjunction with tank trailers, and the like, is always a welcomed enhancement to this particular field of transportation. Time is money, and any savings that can be achieved are welcomed by the industry.
Thus, the concept of the current invention is to add features to the disc portion of the butterfly valve, which have been found to aid in the unloading process, function to help accelerate the speed of unloading a tank trailer, in addition to reducing any noise associated with such an operation. Furthermore, providing a disc for a butterfly valve that will aid in the prevention of the binding, wedging, or clogging of any granular material within the valve, which may be carried over to the next load, is a welcomed improvement to the design of butterfly valves, as used for these purposes.
Butterfly valves, as previously commented, have been around for sometime. The inventor herein has provided inventive improvements to butterfly valves, for many years, such as can be shown in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,357, identified as a Reinforced Industrial Butterfly Valve.
The inventor has also obtained U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,001, upon a Positive Fluid Seal Butterfly Valve. These have to do with the gasket structures for such valves.
A further patent obtained by the inventor herein, upon a Butterfly Valve Assembly, is shown in his U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,411. It is to be noted from this prior patented device that there are attachment mechanisms that extend along the exterior of the butterfly valve, in order to provide for bolting of the disc to the valve, and these types of structures, it has been found, not only function as an obstruction to the uniform flow of the granular material from the valves, but likewise, provide wear points that can cause an abrasive wear out, of the valve structure, due to the constant impingement of the unloading granular material flowing against and past this part of the valve disc, during a continuous unloading process.
Another prior patent to the inventor herein is U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,030, upon a Butterfly Valve Incorporating Sleeve Seals.
Other types of discs for use in a butterfly type of valve, or a throttle, can be seen in the early patent to Peterson, U.S. Pat. No. 965,322, apparently used in an automotive setting.
The patent to Balthasar, U.S. Pat. No. 1,302,891, shows a butterfly type valve for use, and it is held by its valve stem, fastening its disc thereto through the use of a fastener, as noted. It is this type of structure that applicant is attempting to avoid, in the structure of his disc for this butterfly valve.
The patent to Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 2,278,421, shows another valve type device.
A thermostatic valve device is shown in another patent to Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 2,361,006.
The patent to Jensen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,816,729, shows a shutoff type of valve for a butterfly type. You can note that it incorporates significant structure, in the form of fasteners, which secures its disc to its stem, as can be noted. This is the type of structure applicant is attempting to avoid.
The patent to Bryant, U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,010, shows a flow control type of valve.
The patent to Mayo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,414, shows a Multi-Port Flow-Control Valve.
The patent to Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,001, shows a Fluid Pressure Valve having Diverse Material Seal.
That patent to Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,677, shows another Throttle Valve for Internal Combustion Engines.
The patent to Walton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,297, shows a further structured butterfly valve, with a significantly thick disc structure.
The Valve shown in the patent to McNeely, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,833, shows the disc for a valve that has significant bulges structured within it, in order to function as a closure means.
The patent to Baumann, U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,177, shows a Low Torque and Low Noise Butterfly Valve Disc, but it has significant structure that appears to function in the manner of an impeller, with ribs, in order to reduce torque. This patent does describe, though, how the high velocity of the flowing material particularly along the leading edges of the butterfly valves produces undesirable side effects. Such side effects are cavitations with a liquid media, aerodynamic throttling noises with gases, and a high dynamic torque with either of these types of mediums. Applicant's invention is usually used with granular material, and the purpose of his invention is to accelerate flow, and to attempt to reduce the generated noise, during an unloading process through one or more of these butterfly valves through the usage of its uniquely designed disc.
The patent to Nassir, U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,738, shows another structured Butterfly Valve.
The patent to Baumann, U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,305, shows an effort to attain low torque butterfly valve through its designed disc. The disc, though, does incorporate rather significant structure that adds to its width, as can be noted. But it apparently is contoured in a manner that it will attempt to reduce the generation of torque, apparently by contouring its disc surface.
The patent to Graves, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,028, shows a Lined Butterfly Valve design.
The patent to Naylor, U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,173, shows a further Butterfly Valve Assembly.
The patent to Stillwagon, U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,500, discloses a Disc Valve with Removable Seat and Unitary Stem and Disc, and Seat and Stem Bushing Unit therefore.
The patent to Lowrey, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,650, shows another Valve.
The patent to Hanssen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,005, shows Lined Butterfly Valves.
The patent to Forsman, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,015, disclosures a High Pressure Disc Valve.
Another patent to Forsman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,961, shows another Disc Valve Operator with Compound Driving Linkage.
The patent to Snell, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,683, shows a Valve Seat for a Butterfly Valve and Method for Making the Same.
The patent to McNeely, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,833, shows another style of a rather bulky Valve.
The patent to Malloy, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,620, shows a Butterfly Valve Having an Improved Stem Seal.
Another Butterfly Valve is shown in the patent to Uno, U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,511.
A further Butterfly Valve is shown in the patent to Manki, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,050.
The patent to Sumner, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,514, shows a Pressure Enhanced Butterfly Valve.
A Traveling Nut Stop Assembly, for what appears to be a butterfly valve, is shown in the patent to Killian, U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,979.
Another patent to Killian shows a Valve Assembly having Adaptor Means, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,746.
The patent to Daghe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,537, shows another Valve Seat Construction for Butterfly Valves.
The patent to Schils, U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,867, shows a Valve Assembly and Method.
The patent to Nakanishi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,297, shows another form of Butterfly Valve. The disc for this valve, as can be noted, has a substantial bulge along its entire diametric length, extending outwardly integrally from its disc, and therefore, does act as an obstruction to the flow of any granular material therepast.
Another Valve Assembly is shown in the patent to Holtgraver, U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,833, upon a Valve Assembly.
Another patent to Schils, U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,393, shows a Method of Manufacturing a Valve Assembly.
A further design is shown in the patent to Scobie, U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,490, for a High Temperature Valve and Seat therefor. It can be seen that this particular disc, for the valve, has substantial width and thickness.
The patent to Conley, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,260, shows a Plastic Valve and Improved Actuator therefor.
The patent to Scobie, U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,135, shows an Alignment Maintaining Apparatus for Trunnion Mounted Valves.
The patent to Yohner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,612, shows a Rotatable Shaft Assembly.
The patent to Holtgraver, U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,901, shows a Positioning Assembly for use with Rotatable Valves. It can be seen that the mounts for its pivots extend almost diametrically across the shown valve element or disc.
The patent to Scobie, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,611, shows a Butterfly Valve Construction having a Composite Seat.
The patent to Holtgraver, U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,427, shows an Apparatus for Connecting a Valve Element to a Valve Stem.
The patent to Kerns, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,938, shows an Apparatus for Supporting Structure between Bolted Flanges.
The patent to Calvin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,625, shows a Corrosion-Resistant Overlay for the Edge of Butterfly Valves.